US in Progress (USiP) Wrocław is a two-day works-in-progress event targeted at American independent filmmakers and European buyers. It takes place in the scope of the 3rd American Film Festival in Wrocław, Poland on November 14-16. It shows a selection of US independent films seeking completion funding to a group of European buyers, programmers and post-production companies in a series of closed screenings.
Titles selected for this year’s edition are: I Used To Be Darker by Matt Porterfield (prod. Steve Holmgren & Ryan Zacharias), Milkshake by David Andalman (prod. Vinay Singh), Bluebird by Lance Edmands (prod. Kyle Martin, Sundance Creative Producing Lab title), A Song Still Inside by Gregory Collins (prod. Patricia Beaury & Rodrigo Lopresti) and two IFP Labs titles: Cantuckee by Kimberly Levin (prod. Kurt Pitzer), Hide Your Smiling Faces by Daniel Carbone (prod. Matthew Petock).
Around 25 key European buyers will attend the event, among them Wild Bunch (France), Artificial Eye (UK), The Works (UK), Reel Suspects (France), Sophie Dulac Distribution (France), Imagine Film (Belgium), Gutek Film and Polsat. Programmers from Berlin, Cannes and Locarno will also be present.
The projects will have a chance to find a world sales agent and distributor as well as secure post-production partners at the event. A jury made of professionals will award one of the works in progress with a package of post-production services from partner companies including DI service worth $10,000.00 at Platige Image, a leading Polish post-production and special effects company, up to 150 hours of sound editing or soundtrack at Warsaw-based Soundflower Studio worth $10,000.00, post-production services by the Krakow-based Alvernia Studios worth up to $10.000. Another award will contribute to the promotion and distribution of a film and it’s provided by DCinex (DCP worth $5,000), VSI Paris (subtitling), Europa Distribution and CICAE (promotion within the networks). One producer will also receive free registration at Producers Network during Cannes Marche du Film.
American Film Festival in Wrocław, Poland (13-18 Nov), currently in its 3rd year, is the first event in Eastern and Central Europe focused entirely on independent American cinema. US in Progress (formerly Gotham in Progress) was started in 2011 in Wrocław by the New Horizons Association and Black Rabbit Film. In 2012, the event expanded to Paris, where it was part of Sophie Dulac’s Champs-Elysées Film Festival. 2011 Wrocław edition’s success stories include Jason Cortlund & Julia Halperin’s Now, Forager: a Film About Love and Fungi (Rotterdam, New Directors/New Films title sold for distribution to 8 countries by New Europe Film Sales), Amy Seimetz Sun Don’t Shine (SXSW, Edinburgh IFF) and Devyn Waitt’s Not Waving But Drowning (Sarasota FF, world sales by Premium Films). The winning film of the Paris edition was A Teacher by Hannah Fidell.
American Film Festival and US in Progress Wrocław is supported by the City of Wrocław, Embassy of the United States in Warsaw and Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
